Gregory Palamas—The Triads

“A major spiritual and intellectual figure of Orthodox Byzantium, Gregory Palamas—monk, archbishop and eminent theologian—dedicated most of his active life to theological argument, centered on one basic truth: The living God is accessible to personal experience, because He shared His own life with humanity. Both his contemporaries and the later generations considered the nine treatises composed by Palamas between 1338 and 1341 and entitled For the Defence of Those Who Practice Sacred Quietude (Hyper tōn hierōs hesychazontōn) as the most important of all his writings. Since they were published in three groups of three books to rebuke the oral teaching, then the written polemics of the Calabrian philosopher Barlaam, they are frequently referred to as the Triads. [...]The extensive excerpts from the Triads translated and published in this book introduce the reader into the very substance of religious experience of the Christian East.”—“Introduction”

CONTENTS

Foreword Preface IntroductionGREGORY PALAMAS The Triads A. Philosophy does not save B. Apophatic theology as positive experience C. The Hesychast method of prayer, and the transformation of the body D. Deification in Christ E. The uncreated Glory F. Essence and energies in God Notes Indexes